The Best Movies on Netflix Right Now

The Collider Columnist COLLIDER STAFF listed of the best movies on Netflix (January 2017)

We’ve all been there. You’ve decided you’re going to watch a movie. You have the entirety of Netflix at your disposal, including even a pared down list of films you’ve already noted to watch at a future date. But then there’s the choosing. You’ve gotta find something that fits your mood, or something you and your friend/significant other/couch companion can agree on. You spend hours browsing, and by the time you stumble on something you think maybe is the one, it’s too late, you’re too tired, and indecision has won out.

NEVER FEAR, THOUGH, BECAUSE WE HERE AT COLLIDER HAVE A GUIDE TO HELP YOU

Never fear, though, because we here at Collider have a guide to help you find the perfect Netflix choice. We’ve thumbed through the library and assembled a list of some of the best films currently available for streaming, so peruse our highlights below, which will be updated weekly and are currently up to date for January 2017. Maybe the perfect choice is right here.

Best TV Shows on Netflix Right Now and Best Movies on Amazon Prime Right Now and Best Horror Movies on Netflix Right Now and Best Sci-Fi Movies on Netflix Right Now and Best TV Shows on Amazon Prime Right Now.

Sing Street

If you’re looking for a pure feel-good movie, you can’t go wrong with Sing Street. This 80s-set musical/coming-of-age story hails from Once and Begin Again filmmaker John Carney and follows a young Irish boy who starts a band in order to impress a girl. In writing their original musical, they cover the various trends of the decade—there are songs that sound like Duran Duran and there are songs that sound like The Cure. At heart, it’s a story about young love and discovering who you are while not shying away from the harsh realities of real life. The songs are genuinely great, the performances are incredible (especially from newcomer Lucy Boynton), and the ending is a humdinger. I dare you to watch this movie and not smile. – Adam Chitwood

13th

Director: Ava DuVernay

Writers: Spencer Averick and Ava DuVernay

Ava DuVernay follows up her acclaimed film Selma with a searing documentary that looks at the mass incarceration of minorities following the passage of the 13th amendment. As the documentary points out, it’s not just ingrained cultural racism that results in the widespread incarceration of African-Americans and other minorities. There’s a financial incentive as well, and it’s good business to lock people up. 13th systematically goes through the decades following the passage of the 13th amendment to show how black people were targeted by the media, by the government, and by businesses to create a new form of slavery. It is a movie that will infuriate you, depress you, and hopefully spur you to action against a system that done egregious harm to our fellow citizens. – Matt Goldberg

WHEN IT WAS RELEASED, OCEAN’S TWELVE WAS NOT NEARLY AS WARMLY RECEIVED AS ITS PREDECESSOR

Yes, really. When it was released, Ocean’s Twelve was not nearly as warmly received as its predecessor, but that’s because Soderbergh opted to try something entirely different. The plot is purposefully convoluted, and if you read Ocean’s Twelve’s story as a metaphor for how hard it is to make a good sequel, it is immensely more satisfying. The story mirrors Soderbergh’s task of following up a huge hit film with a movie that’s the same but different: Benedict (the studio) demands Ocean’s Eleven (Soderbergh and his cast) form once again to pay him back his money. Hilarity ensues, and the film never takes itself too seriously as the cast is all in on the joke. It’s divisive to be sure, but give the film another shot. It may surprise you. – Adam Chitwood

Y Tu Mamá También

Director: Alfonso Cuarón

Writers: Alfonso Cuarón and Carlos Cuarón

Cast: Maribel Verdú, Gael García Bernal, and Diego Luna

Before he made Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban or Children of Men or Gravity, filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón directed the erotic masterpiece Y Tu Mamá También. The Spanish-language coming-of-age drama follows two teenage best friends who go on a road trip with a woman in her late twenties, only to discover much more about each other and themselves. It seems like a trite premise, but the film is lovingly crafted and gorgeously shot by Oscar-winning cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki. Cuarón captures teenage ennui brilliantly, and while this is a “coming-of-age” story, the focus isn’t entirely on the young boys—Maribel Verdú’s chararacter is fully realized as Cuarón explores the anxieties and fears of adulthood, all set against the backdrop of a sunny, sex-filled roadtrip. This is undoubtedly one of the best films of the 21st century so far. – Adam Chitwood

Zootopia

Walt Disney Animation Studios found itself lagging behind when Pixar’s track record was pristine, but look no further than Zootopia for evidence that the tables have turned. While Pixar is more hit-or-miss nowadays, Disney Animation is on a roll with 2016’s Zootopia proving to be a pleasantly surprising hit both commercially and critically. While talking animal stories have been done to death, Disney dared to use the colorful, vibrant, and diverse world of Zootopia to tackle issues of inherent bias and racial prejudice head on, resulting in a viewing experience that’s both entertaining and thought-provoking. The movie is funny and gorgeous, with top-notch world building, but it also has something to say, which ensures that it’s much more than a lazy cash grab. With any luck, this one’s gonna have a lengthy shelf life. – Adam Chitwood

Following

Director: Christopher Nolan

Writer: Christopher Nolan

Cast: Jeremy Theobald, Alex Haw, Lucy Russell

Christopher Nolan’s first feature film is still one of his best, and it will make you a little sad that he’s unlikely to return to such small-scale storytelling. While the director clearly excels at set pieces and big ideas, Following is a neat little noir that feels like it was plucked out of the 1940s, complete with femme fatale and hapless stooge. The story of a man who randomly follows people only to be chosen by one of his targets for an elaborate scheme, Following is clearly the first step in Nolan’s development as a director, but damn what a confident step it is. You have no problem believing this is the work of a director who would go on to tell a story in reverse or use Batman as a parable for the War on Terror. – Matt Goldberg

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